Combined hokse-collab and hames



G. W. N. YOST, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

COMBINED HORSE-COLLAR AND I-IAlVIES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 19,169; dated January 19, 1858.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, Gno. W'. N. YosT, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Horse-Collars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

All the hames now in use are adjustable only by means of straps attached to the top and bottom of the bows. They do not bear properly upon the horse, but are dragged away from the median line of his body and bear chiefly on the bony part .of his shoulder, acting like a clam with a strap-hinge, pressing the shoulders of the horse together so as to fatigue him unnecessarily, and both to gall and stilfen him. The pressure of such hame must always be greatest upon the brow of the shoulder and least near the neck where the animal can best take the load, thus compelling him to lift, as it were, at arms length inamost disadvantageous manner. In view of these object-ions and of the anatomical structure of the horse, I have constructed a collar on an entirely new plan. More than fifty of my improved collars have been some months in use, for both heavy and light draft, and they afford the highest satisfaction.

My invention consists of an adjusting breast yoke, in combination with hame bows for the purpose of more accurately fitting different horses and thus preventing both the chafing of the skin and the stiffening of the shoulders. By means of my invention, the pressure of the hame is always directly backward, and upon the fleshy portion of the shoulder, without a tendency to drag the hame from the proper working part of the shoulder, either outward or upward.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, represents a front elevation of my collar. Fig. 2, one of the staples hereinafter referred to.

The hame bows A, A, Fig. l, are constructed of wood or other suitable material, and used without the ordinary collar of stuffed leather or any other substitute. The upper ends of the bows B, B, are made of iron and have sockets H, I-I, into which the bows A, A, are fastened. The bows are furnished with irons, L, L, and the usual hamestraps F, F, and a leather collar pad G, with buckles M, M. In front of the hame bows is an iron breast yoke, E. The ends of this yoke pass loosely through staples D, Figs. l, and 2. These staples are screwed firmly into the hame bows. The clip eyes C, to which the tugs are attached, are screwed upon the ends I, I, of the breast yoke E. By means of these screws and clip eyes the hame bows A, A, may be adjusted inward or outward exactly to fit the necks of different horses and bring the two draft portions A, A, upon the fleshy shoulder close to the neck. Therefore the breast yoke E, holds the collar properly upon the true shoulder of the horse, preventing the possibility of dragging the collar away from the neck or folding it against the shoulders, as is the case with all other collars. The draft or pressure upon the shoulder of the horse is always directly backward, as with the common oX-bow, yet the upper and lower ends of my hame-bows are free to play backward and forward, so that t-he hame presses equally above and below the staples D, or bearings of the breast yoke E. This play of the bow gives a regular pressure instead of throwing the load first upon the upper and bony part of the shoulder and then upon the lower part or tip. With the hames now in use the horse takes a great portion of the load upon the tip of his shoulder as he moves his foot forward, thus drawing hardest with the foot which is free from the ground, but with my collar he steps almost as free as the draft-ox. My collar never bears upon the upper part of the shoulder blade, or upon the shoulder joint, so as to stiffen the shoulders, as is common with all hames hitherto known. Neither can it clamp the shoulder together so as to fatigue or stifl'en the horse. My collar is exceedingly light, cheap, and durable. The parts B, B, are set back from the neck so that the draft is only against the bows A, A; therefore my collar is less liable than others to heat or scald the horse; and by bearing upon the fleshy portions of the shoulder and directly backward it does not gall or st-iffen them.

The breast yoke E, in addition to giving a fixed position to the hame bows, serves as the common breast chain for attaching the pole-straps.

Having thus fully described my invention, preventing the chang, galling and stilfenwhat I claim and desire to secure by Leting of the shoulders, substantially as set ters Patent of the United States is: forth.

The adjusting, breast-yoke E, in combi- In witness whereof I hereunto set my 5 nation with the hame bows A, A, for the hand this 29th day of December, 1857.

purpose of making the hames press directly G W N YOST backward and upon the fleshy portions of the shoulders, in order to enable the horse Witnesses:

to draw with greater ease, and also for more THos. HOLLINGSHEAD, l0 accurately fitting different horses and thus DANIEL BREED. 

